Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan-Jun;8(1):23-30.
doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10018-1253. Epub 2018 May 1.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Serum Interleukin-6 in Malignant Transformation of Liver Cirrhosis

Mustafa Yakut  1 , Hasan Özkan  2 , Muhammed F Karakaya  2 , Harun Erdal  3
Affiliations

Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Serum Interleukin-6 in Malignant Transformation of Liver Cirrhosis

Mustafa Yakut et al. Euroasian J Hepatogastroenterol. 2018 Jan-Jun.

Abstract

Aim: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is still the most commonly used and the single most recommended marker in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Interleukin (IL)-6 is a circular cytokine and its role on carcinogenesis in various hematological and solid tumors is clearly documented. A combination of serum IL-6 and AFP may provide beneficial information regarding early diagnosis of HCC. In this study, the effect of plasma IL-6 level in the diagnosis of HCC was investigated.

Materials and methods: A total of 130 patients with liver cirrhosis, together with 30 control cases were enrolled in the trial. A diagnosis of HCC was present in 75 patients (57.6%) in the liver cirrhosis group. Blood samples were obtained from the enrolled study and control cases. Alpha-fetoprotein was quantified by chemiluminescent method. Plasma IL-6 levels of samples obtained at -80°C were quantified by human IL-6 BMS213/2 BMS213/2TEN kit.

Results: The HCC patients were older than the patients in the cirrhosis group (p = 0.016). On comparison of the HCC patients with the control group, AFP (p < 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001) were significantly higher among the HCC patients. Comparison of HCC patients with liver cirrhosis cases with no diagnosis of HCC revealed significantly high AFP (p < 0.001) and IL-6 levels (p < 0.001) in HCC group. Cutoff value for IL-6 was calculated as 5.73 (pg/mL). No difference was detected in AFP (p = 0.600) and IL-6 (0.344) in all three subgroups. A total of 17 patients died during a mean follow-up period of 32.9 months. No correlation was found between mean AFP values and IL-6 values and survival rates.

Conclusion: Plasma IL-6 level was found to be significant in the diagnosis of HCC. Alpha-fetoprotein and IL-6 provided no advantage in terms of early diagnosis of HCC and no correlation was observed between these markers and survival.How to cite this article: Yakut M, Özkan H, Karakaya MF, Erdal H. Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Serum Interleukin-6 in Malignant Transformation of Liver Cirrhosis. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2018;8(1):23-30.

Keywords: Cirrhosis; Diagnosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Interleukin-6; Prognostic role..

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None

Figures

Graphs 1A and B:
Graphs 1A and B:
Box-plot graphs of AFP and IL-6 values in control group, cirrhotic patients, and HCC patients
Graphs 2A and B:
Graphs 2A and B:
Diagnostic values of AFP and IL-6 in HCC (ROC curves)
Graphs 3A and B:
Graphs 3A and B:
Box-plot graphs of AFP and IL-6 in HCC patient subgroups
Graphs 4A and B:
Graphs 4A and B:
Survival graphs of AFP and IL-6
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Henry L, Lavabre-Bertrand T, Vercambre L, Ramos J, Carillo S, Guiraud I, Pouderoux P, Bismuth M, Valats J-C, Demattei C et al. Plasma proteasome level is a reliable early marker of malignant transformation of liver cirrhosis. Gut. 2009 Jun;58(6):833–838. - PubMed
    1. Stroffolini T. Etiological factor of hepatocellular carcinoma in Italy. Minerva Gastroenterol Dietol. 2005 Mar;51(1):1–5. - PubMed
    1. Trinchet JC, Alperovitch A, Bedossa P, Degos F, Hainaut P, Beers BV. Epidemiology, prevention, screening and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma] Bull Cancer. 2009 Jan;96(1):35–43. - PubMed
    1. Bhosale P, Szklaruk J, Silverman PM. Current staging of hepatocellular carcinoma: imaging implications. Cancer Imaging. 2006 Jul;6(1):83–94. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sato Y, Nakata K, Kato Y, Shima M, Ishii N, Koji T, Taketa K, Endo Y, Nagataki S. Early recognition of hepatocellular carcinoma based on altered profiles of alpha-fetoprotein. N Engl J Med. 1993 Jun;328:1802–1806. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources